Murray comes back from the dead to win in China

Andy Murray looked beaten in the China heat as he fell 6-2 behind in a second set tie-break and opponent Tommy Robredo moved within one point of victory.

Yet half an hour later and the Scot had hauled himself out of a huge hole, with his battling qualities coming to the fore as he dug out a 5-7 7-6 (11/9) 6-1 win against a Spanish rival who was a broken man by the time the final point was played.

In total, Murray saved five match points as he claimed his first title since Wimbledon 2013, with his tears at the end highlighting what a roller-coaster ride he had been through to get that winning feeling all over again.

Spaniard Robredo could barely walk to the net come the end of a gruelling contest played in intense heat in southern China, with Murray's remarkably high levels of fitness being richly rewarded.

Murray had capped a glorious 12 months with his Wimbledon triumph in July 2013, which came in the wake of Olympic gold and the US Open title, but back surgery later in the year ended his season early.

"Today was obviously an incredibly tough match, the conditions are so hard to play in," said Murray in the on-court presentation. "I just tried to fight till the end."

"I got lucky, basically, at the end of the second set. I fought hard, tried my best and thankfully managed to turn it round.

"Tommy had a great tournament. He probably deserved to win the match today. He had the opportunities in the second set, but sometimes that happens in sport."

This win gives Murray another 250 points in his bid to reach the end of year ATP World Tour finals, with only the game's top eight players of 2014 being granted a pass for the event in London. The Scot moves up to 10th in that list ahead of his final three events of the regular season.